Residents find first leatherback turtle eggs in Phang Nga village in 2 years

Residents in a Phang Nga village found some buried leatherback turtle eggs for the first time in two years. The locals of Koh Kor Khao village in Takua Pa district were delighted to find the nest on Sunset Beach on Tuesday.

Luckily, the eggs had not been impacted by seawater or poor weather conditions. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) therefore left the eggs in their nest. However, the department erected a fence around the nest to protect it.

The last time leatherback sea turtle eggs were found in Koh Kor Khao was in 2021, The Phuket Express reported. The new nest discovery on Tuesday is therefore an exciting occasion. The residents now giddily look forward to meeting the new baby sea turtles.

This news comes after Phang Nga officials have been finding leatherback turtle eggs around the province during the past few months.

Last month, the marine department found nests on Baan Thung Darp Beach in the Koh Phra Thong sub-district of Kura Buri district, bringing the total number of nests unearthed in the province to eight since the nesting season began in November.

The DMCR officials marked the start of the nesting season on November 17, after officials found a nest of 118 eggs on Bang Khwan Beach. Out of the 118 eggs, 106 were fertile and in good condition.

Officials moved the eggs to a high-tech nest with a fence and CCTV cameras, along with thermometers to monitor the incubation process.

Leatherback sea turtles are the largest of all living turtles, and the fourth heaviest modern reptiles behind three crocodilians, according to Thai National Parks.

Leatherbacks aren’t the only sea turtles in trouble in Thailand. Green sea turtles are listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Only one in 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings is thought to make it to adulthood. Without guidance, many hatchlings die from dehydration because they don’t make it to the ocean fast enough.